Mafia Mix Vol.5 by Gillian Sagansky
It's just another Summer Friday in Manhattan as we sit tucked away inside Nolita gem Café Gitane, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Gillian Sagansky.
Mid-way through our first drink, we spot the petite brunette coasting past the glass door as she makes her way to our table. Sitting across from us in all black, she manages to pull off the effortlessly chic look that just has to be genetic.
For those of you not yet familiar with this NYC darling, she's what you'd call "one to watch." Gillian is a writer and artist whose work has been featured in W, Vogue, and most recently V Magazine. Y'know, just to name a few. When she's not in between shoots and features articles, you can also find the ingenue spinning at fashion week parties and hotspots like Le Baron.
When Gillian agreed to a Style Mafia collaboration, naturally we couldn't contain our excitement and had to pick her brain over some wine.
SM: So what’s the 140 characters or less on Gillian?
GS: I’m figuring that out as I go...!
SM: You’re a woman of many hats (writer/artist/fashionista/DJ), but is there one you identify with the most?
GS: It’s funny you should ask. My whole life people kept telling me that I had to choose just one, but I never listened, and now I’m doing them all— I exhibit my artwork at galleries, DJ at least once a week, and write regularly for fashion and art publications that I’ve admired my whole life. We live in a time when you no longer have to subscribe to just one job. Especially with the convergence of these various art forms and their influence on one another, I can be involved in all of them!
SM: How’d you get your start in the industry?
GS: Writing for Purple Diary and BOMB Magazine! Then things took off from there.
SM: You’re given the chance to DJ for any designer’s fashion show--who and where?
GS: Hedi Slimane in the gardens at Versailles, or for Dries Van Noten in a vacant warehouse in Belgium.
SM: The bad news: everything in your closet has mysteriously vanished. The good news: you get to dress out of anyone else’s. Whose are you raiding?
GS: Diane Keaton's. Annie Hall is my everything.
SM: What’s your one go-to outfit?
GS: Black head to toe! My uniform consists of black jeans from BLK DNM, Saint Laurent boots, a black wide brimmed hat, and a fitted black tank top. Does the trick every day.
SM: What’s your go-to album, both new or old?
GS: Old: Patti Smith’s Easter (1978) and Horses (1976). Patti Smith is Greenwich Village at it’s prime. From her lyrics to the melody, you can feel the enthusiasm and artistic experimentation that permeated the village in both of these albums.
New: Paul Kalkbrenner Berlin Calling.
I lived in Berlin a couple of years ago and fell in love with its youth culture, specifically the minimal / electronic scene. Every night you find yourself on some crazy adventure and end up at warehouse at 3am listening to electronic music and experience this incredible sense of togetherness. Paul's music brings me back there—I even did a story on him for VOGUE!
SM: The song that most perfectly sums up your life thus far is…
GS: "Clair De Lune" by Flight Facilities (feat. Christine Holberg).
SM: Miami is oftentimes known for its neon lights reflecting on the hard bodies of South Beach, oh, and Art Basel of course, but what comes to mind when you think of the 305?
GS: Sneaking into the Delano and ordering a Cosmopolitan without knowing what it was when I was 14 years old. Only good times in the 305 since then.
SM: This has suddenly turned into a job interview. Quick, where do you see yourself in 10 years?
GS: I want to have my own brand ten years from now--whether it's a lingerie line or some niche organic snack. But I couldn't give up magazines-- I want to be an editor-at-large somewhere as well!
Check out more of Gillian on Twitter and Instagram @gilliansagansky